On Monday, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery welcomed its fourth shipment of one million barrels of bonny light crude oil, supplied by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC). The $20 billion refinery is expecting the fifth crude oil shipment in the near future, with the plant gearing up to commence the production of refined Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and aviation fuel or JetA1 this month.
The company’s statement noted that this fresh one million barrels of crude marks the fourth consignment delivered to the Dangote facility out of the six million barrels expected by the world’s largest single-train refinery. Akin Omole, the Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, had earlier shared that the refinery would receive about four million crude oil shipments before the end of 2023, with the remaining two expected in early January 2024. This strategic timeline is set to facilitate the initial run of the refinery, leading to the production of diesel, aviation fuel, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas, before progressing to the production of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).
The Dangote refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, is poised to meet 100% of Nigeria’s refined petroleum product requirements, including petrol, diesel, kerosene, and jet fuel. Additionally, it anticipates generating a surplus of each product for export.
Equipped with a self-sufficient marine facility capable of handling the largest vessels globally, the refinery has been efficiently receiving crude oil shipments. Aliko Dangote, the President of Dangote Group, expressed delight at reaching this significant milestone and emphasized the refinery’s commitment to ramping up production to its full capacity. He looks forward to delivering the first batch of products to the Nigerian market in the coming months.